ON THE SAFE SIDE
Finding the Right Safety Coordinator
by Amy Wilson, AMA Special Services
Now that AMA Chartered clubs are required to have a
Safety Coordinator, AMA has created this document to
assist clubs in finding the best person for the job.
We already have a document of suggested Safety
Coordinator duties; however, to offer additional
assistance to clubs, we have come up with some
suggested skills we believe will be beneficial for
the Safety Coordinator to possess.
The Safety Coordinator should be a person who will
mentor, serve as a role model and educator and a
promoter of safety awareness. He should also have
the ability to assist in the development of club
activities from a safety aspect and provide support
in running such activities. It is important to
remember that the Safety Coordinator is not the
“Club Field Police,” rather the person who displays
a positive attitude and willingness to teach others
in regards to safety at the club field.
Role Model
An important attribute for a role model to have is
leadership skills. A Safety Coordinator should be
someone who is very knowledgeable about our hobby,
maintains high standards, and displays a positive
attitude when dealing with safety issues.
If you lead, they will follow. This statement pretty
well sums up how the Safety Coordinator can affect
the club. A good leader, with a positive attitude
who knows the ins and outs of the club rules and
by-laws, will assist in club members gaining trust
and respect for the Safety Coordinator. In turn,
club members will have an encouraging resource to
turn to with any safety issues that may arise.
Educator
Education, education, education! We can’t say this
enough. Many accidents and injuries could be avoided
if only pilots were more educated on the aspects of
safety. Start by looking at a person’s interpersonal
and communication skills. A Safety Coordinator who
can work well and communicate effectively with the
club board and members will be more effective in
teaching safety than a person not as efficient in
this area.
Safety Coordinators should work with the club to
develop an ongoing educational plan for the club
members. Offering quarterly safety meetings, special
safety classes for newcomers, and any additional
preventative measures the club finds necessary,
would be an important step in creating an effective
educational program. The Safety Coordinator would
play a leading role in the development and
implementation of all safety education programs and
having skills to educate would be a benefit to the
club.
Promoter
Promotion of safety within the club is a must and
the club will want to look for a good promoter. An
ideal candidate for the Safety Coordinator might be
a salesman or marketing major. Salesmen promote the
product they are selling, and if they have been in
the profession for some time, you would assume
he/she has ability in this area. A marketing
professional would have a knack for promotion, as
this profession would require such skills. This is
not to say that someone without a background in
sales or promotion couldn’t effectively be a good
Safety Coordinator. However, we believe someone with
this type of background would be a bonus to the
coordinator position.
Effective safety promotion will encourage members to
become more aware of their surroundings at the club
field.
Final Thoughts
When choosing a Safety Coordinator, the club should
find a person who will appreciate the importance of
creating an atmosphere of safety. Yes, the Safety
Coordinator should be responsible for promoting
safety first and foremost; however, this person
should not be considered the “Club Field Police” and
appropriate avenues should be established by the
club to handle any safety matters that may surface
(i.e. proper steps for the Safety Coordinator to
take could be established in the club bylaws).
Good judgment and communication skills are important
for your Safety Coordinator to have. The Safety
Coordinator will not make the final decision on
safety concerns as normally these issues would be
voted on and decided by the club board. However, the
coordinator should be able to use good judgment,
make decisions based on facts, and relay any
concerns or observations through the proper channels
so the club may make an informative decision and
take any needed preventative action.
A Safety Coordinator who has the skills mentioned in
this document and does diligent follow-up on safety
issues will increase safety throughout the club all
the while strengthening our hobby!
As always, we should remember, above and beyond,
Safety Comes First!
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